Wonder why they don't hate America.

I'd sure like to live here over sub-saharan Africa. These results don't surprise me at all.

foreigners think america is the richest country-they think americans are the richest people. so anyone who wants to leave where they are will choose america because they want the most money they can get. simple as that. and they may also hate america and americans, but they love money more so they dont care. it's the dreamof everyone outside america-they believe the streets are paved with gold, etc...

so really all the poll shows is how many people really want money more than anything else in life. sorry i am a cynic, but that is what i have found so far.

---------- Post added 11-04-2009 at 06:32 PM ----------

would be an interesting poll how many americans want to leave and where would they go...lots of people are retiring and going elsewhere, but as far as i know mainly for the same reason-because they can get more for their money anywhere else. how funny...

Because America does a better PR job screaming pride and self-absorption. It's the same reason people are turned on by confidence in a potential mate.

Yeah, sorry I answered your question. Must be infuriating...

No, I understand why they would want to leave. But the question is, why America if it is supposed to be so bad? Why not China, or Russia, or Cuba, or, say North Korea? Not to mention Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, well, you fill in the list.

---------- Post added 11-04-2009 at 08:20 AM ----------



Do educated foreigners really believe what you say they believe? Aren't you slightly condescending? They are ignorant, and they are greedy, and that is why they would rather go to America than China, or Russian, or even India. Ameericans who retire, often want to go to warmer climes, where things are cheaper. But we are not talking about retirees in Africa, you know. We are talking about people who want to find a place where they can live a better life while working. So your comparison with American retirees is rather peculiar, don't you think?

Not at all. Your answer is so dismissive of those "furriners" whom I am sure you believe you respect, that it is amusing. Where do you think they would be better off going? North Korea? Yemen?

you are right to call me out for making a generalization. i know nothing at all about africa or anyone from africa. my main experience is six years in india living among indians and many of them who have lived in foreign countries, mainly arab ones. i should have confined my observations to that segment of people.

educated foreigners are no smarter or stupider than educated americans. but unfortunately they seem to make a judgement by what they see on television more than anything else. they believe everyone lives in huge mansions like many of the sitcoms-apparently they never saw roseanne. it wouldnt have been popular at all overseas anyway.

as far as comparing the group of people i am aware of who want to leave america, that wasnt my intention. i am mentioning them only because they are a group of americans that i know of who want to leave their land. for one thing, cost of medical care is so high in america nearly no one can live there safely after retirement. so it is still a question of money which makes them want to leave, though it isnt greed but a case of survival. i thought it was ironic.

i dont mean to be condescending, envy is part of human nature. if the shoe was on the other foot, the results would be the same. i have seen poor people-so far beyond the level of poverty imaginable in america-that dont know they are poor, dont consider themselves to be poor. but show them affluence, and they want it. i do believe few people are exceptions to this. and you see the very very rich, if there is one thing someone else has that they dont, they will have to have it. it isnt only a disease of the have-nots.

You don't think it could possibly be that they think that America is the best country to live in, do you? And that they may be better informed and smarter than you give them credit for? (I am retired, live in America, and get excellent medical care, and expect to continue to do so unless Obama ruins it, which he is making great efforts to do).

Surely the best country to live in is where your family is, your native tongue is spoken and where the culture is one you understand. It is definitely the desire for wealth. Why would you think America is the best country to live in? Were these people so well informed that they could tell the differences between living in USA vs Canada, Britain and France? No country in the world exports its culture like USA so it should come as no surprise that it's at the top of these polls.

You think that the people who want to get to America from a few of the countries in the Sub-Sahara think that their country is the best country to live in? I just bet!

Just wanted to mention this site, that may be of some relevance here:

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Not at all, I meant your home country should be the best one to live in provided you're not facing starvation or slaughter etc. But your point was that they choose America because it must be the best country to live in. But how would they know that without comparing against other countries? Like Catch's link, Denmark seems like a good place to live. Why didn't these people in the poll pick Denmark or Sweden or Japan? Did they compare living standards and opportunities of each nation and then make an informed decision on America? I think not. It is because America is the only superpower and the most active in exporting its culture.

In my opinion, this 'study' is meaningless; it claims to measure 'happiness levels', as if someone out there is enough of an expert to know how to accurately measure 'happiness'. Not to mention, the sample size is much too small to come up with any meaningful results, even if they could measure happiness.

Where is the claim made to be able to measure happiness, for heaven's sake? So many straw-men.